27 years old and 8 years in to his career, what is your opinon on Lebron?

27 years old and 8 years in to his career, what is your opinon on Lebron?

Imagine yourself 8 and a half years ago, sitting in front of your TV, watching the 03 draft, and you hear Lebron's name called, and you think to yourself, "Man, I can't wait to see what this guy is gonna do the next decade." And all of a sudden, appears Leroy Jenkins in the form of a Leprechaun with a Jamaican accent. He gives you a blinding stare, and hands you a packet of pappers, and that packet contains all possible measures of Lebron's stats until the end of 2011. And then he places a metal box on the floor, that contains 50 of Lebron's greatest games including his 48 point rampage against the Pistons in 07, and his 50 point triple double in the garden a couple years back. Leroy Legend then vanshes into the smoke, never to be seen again. You sit there rumaging through the stack of paper, in depth stats of Lebron for the first 8 years of his career, you then spend the next week restlessly watching all 50 tapes that Leroy left for you.

What would your reaction be to everything you have seen? Do you think Lebron maximized his talnets, or that he didn't get the most out of his gifts.

This is a trick question because LeBron is like one of the only players in NBA history to actually meet and surpass his own hype.

But then on the other hand, at the same time, I've expected more. I really thought he could be the best player ever at first. I thought IF anybody was going to pass MJ, it'd be him, but I was wrong.

- He's stunk it up in two Finals appearances.

- Too worried about his brand and becoming a billionaire instead of basketball. It seems like he bought his own hype.

- It's taken him 8 years to show any sort of post game and a go-to move... Has had a holes in his game that should've been patched up by now.

- The whole Decision situation and leaving his team as a back to back MVP winner, instead of convincing other players to join him. Joining D. Wade, instead of wanting to BEAT him.

- Let downs in the playoffs where it looked like he wasn't even all there. Just head scratching moments.

I'd think he's a great all-around talent and one of the best athletes I've ever seen... A walking triple double and someone who's worth 50 regular season wins by being on your team, but not the go-to player down the stretch that people want him to be. I wouldn't think of him as a big time clutch performer. He's a first ballot hall of famer if he retired today and a top five small forward of all-time.

I think the most remarkable thing about these athletic freaks like Lebron, Shaq, Dwight and players like that is that they manage to stay healthy throughout their career, forget all the stats he is on the court almost every game which allows him to produce such jaw dropping numbers, it really is amazing.

i've never been a lebron fan. Watching him take the throne from kobe over the years as best in the league made me root against him. Hes great and i dont blindly hate or anything. But when he had opportunities in the 4th quarter of the nba finals where he was matched one on one with deshawn stevenson, the same stevenson who used to trash talk him back in the cleavland/washington battles, and lebron never even tried to attack just simply passed and watched, i have to call him out mentally for that. Greatest combination of size, speed and skill the game has seen though.

I just don't like Lebron, never have. I know he's an absolutely incredible player but I'll never be pulling for him nwo that he's on the Heat. If the Heat win the next few championships, that'll really just tear me apart and make my hate grow for him. I do like that he;s stayed out of trouble but I HATE how he handles the media. His post game conferences are arrogant, the decision, and just tiny things that irk me. I wish I could like him, but I just flat out don't.

I don't about you guys but i would bet money on those 50 games, might as well maximize the potential of that info. lmao

but I saw all those stats i would be truely amazed and consider him one of the best players to ever play the game, then i would watch the games, and wonder what the hell happened in 2011 and why the f@ck he leave cleveland.

Sidenote- I think Once Lebron wins his first ring, his confidence will rise and thats when we can see the complete player he actually is. Its kind of like its one of those things were once you get over that huge hump its smooth sailing from there(not saying he will win every title from there on out, thats stupid) but he will be more confident about it and his game will improve even more

@winning time thats exactly why i dislike lebron, because of his antics but If he wins one i wouldn't be hateful about it, actually probably happy he proved me wrong.

I think LBJ cares about his brand but it's not his main motive. He would of done the dunk contest if he really cared. He doesn't want the pressure of being the next MJ though so he didn't. Lebron doesn't handle pressure well evidenced by his 25cents short of a dollar. He needs to be himself he might never be that clutch player that is why he joined Wade, who has always been that player. Once he learns to exploit mismatches he will be great. Is it a cop out to want to be the guy passing to the clutch scorer? I dont think so. LBJ has had a fantastic career so far obv. he hasnt the hardware to back it up. Lets stop comparing LBJ to this player and that. He is his own type of player who shows extreme athleticism and desire to find the open man. As far as leaving cle. I think it must of been the organization that made him leave. We all saw Gilbert and how he handled everything. LBJ doesn't owe anyone anything, the only person he owes is himself to do the best he can. I don't think any of us can question his work ethic. And while I do agree he does sound arrogant sometimes he shows how humble he is as often. Put yourself in his shoes and say you would do different, honestly.

Seeing as how Leeroy didn't leave a copy of his postgame bloopers and his Decision debacle, I would only think this is the most gifted athlete I've ever seen in my life. The body control, explosion, agility, speed, hand-eye coordination should be the stuff of legends. I would think to myself as I watched this draft, that as good as Darko is gonna be, you do not pass on multiple MVP winning players who average 27-7-7 for their first 8 years out of high school. Especially, as was said early, one that would be virtually injury free for his career.

The issue with Lebron James is simple. It is confidence. Yes I said it confidence.

I am not saying Lebron does not have confidence in himself, or that he is not a confident player. There are different forms of confidence and different ways to acquire confidence and his form of confidence I do believe is the issue...the one thing that keeps him from being the greatest one, or at least an NBA Champion.

Lebron James entered the league on a horrible Cleveland Cavaliers team. That team lacked positive role models, had many players that failed to reach there potential, and also noone to show James how to be a professional and more importantly a man.

Lebron James started off as a modest teenager fighting his hardest to score 20-ppg, 5-rpg, and 5-apg, to a cocky superstar averaging 27-ppg, 7-rpg, and 7-apg. What happened inbetween the time he enteredthe league, to now for him to change. To start off Cleveland firing Head Coach Silas and hiring Mike Brown to be a pushover, give Lebron whatever he wanted, and stroke his ego couldnt have helped. Having noone to awnser too as the most hyped 19-21 year old superstar in the NBA ever would make any man extremely cocky, let alone a kid.

I believe if James had the right people around him to challenge him at the right time he would be an NBA Champion and still would be with Cleveland right now. With veteran support to remind him that even though he maybe the most talented player ever to play in the league he was still a kid who should appreciate his gift, his teammates, coach, oppurtunities, and current position. Instead of expecting his fans to bow he should naturally look forward to signing autographs and bow to his own fans.

It may not sound like much but it all goes back to confidence and cockiness. Cockiness is a safegaurd for confidence. When somebodies confidence is threatened they get cocky, to defend their confidence in their own abillity. When someody acts cocky it shows me they are mentally weak and struggle to believe in themselves. This maybe why he struggles down the stretch like he does, why in the finals he dissappeared and tried his hardest to just play effiecient and not force the issue.

Lebron becoming incomplacent in clutch moments is a result of him lacking confidence, having such extremely high expectations, and not being trained, developed, and taught how to mentally be the best professional to be th best player. Whenever someone calls him out his confidence becomes threatened, he then defends it by making a stupid cocky commercial, statement, or interview.

Now neg me because even know you are aware it all adds upyou have to defend your beliefs, previous statements, and all loved LBJ.

Also with all this said none of this is LBJs fault. He is still the best player in the league, and something like this is easily changable. If anything the bashing he takes from the media will teach him sooner or later not to be so cocky. His maturation process is taking longer then expected, although once he gets passed this last learning curve he will be GREAT. He could easily pound out a Dynasty for the next 10 years and win 6 rings.

^^People talk about him because he's a freak of nature unlike anyone who's ever played basketball before. More so than both Kobe and Michael Jordan. They have rings, sure, but as a fan most don't watch guys play because they have rings if they see a guy who jumps out of the screen at you because of his size, ability to make an exciting play, and athleticism.

I think Lebron is about as good as you can get as far as watching a game. He's a pretty flashy player who can dunk, make nice passes and he's able to take over games in bunches. He does come up short in the clutch alot though, which is tough because it largely makes people unappreciative of how well he plays before then. You knw, the other like 40 minutes of the game. I think he's a dominant player, but he does need a clutch guy beside him. He's more like an athletic Magic Johnson than he is a Michael Jordan-type. I've always felt that Wade is more comparable to Jordan than Lebron, although he's a poor mans Jordan per say. He gives you a dominant scorer, a freak athlete and physical specimen, a great passer and a strong defender who can make spectacular basket saving plays too. He just isn't all the way tough enough mentally to carry a team to a title by himself or make great plays down the stretch of a game consistently.

I will say this though. Lebron is the best overall player in the NBA. He has been for about the past 3-4 years now too. He's not the most clutch, he's not the most skilled overall, but he is the best. He can play 4 positions, he's a triple double threat, he's a solid jump shooter, an overwhelming slasher and athlete, and he is an excellent passer and ball-handler. He's only underachieved to me in that he hasn't gotten a ring, but he's lived up to the hype in terms of how good a player he's become.

As a basketball player, what more can you say? The guy is simply spectacular in almost every phase of the game. I know his game is not as aesthetically pleasing or as refined as someone like Kobe or even Durant, but LeBron dominates almost every area of the game. If you asked somebody who are the best scorers in the NBA, the names you hear are Melo, Durant, Kobe, or Dirk. But LeBron's career scoring average is 2 full pints higher than any of those guys, and since his second year this is how he's finished in scoring; 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, and 2nd last year. Not bad for a guy who's not a "pure scorer". He also is one of the best play makers in basketball, can shut down just about anybody on defense, and is virtually indestructable. What more can you ask for/

The only thing he has to do now is avoid mentally collapsing in the biggest games of the year. What happened against Boston two years ago and Dallas last year is absolutely mystifying and defies description. Especially coming off two series' last year when he consistently drove daggers through the hearts of the Celtics and Bulls, and put the clamps on MVP Derrick Rose. The guy has shown that he can come through in big moments, and the whole "clutch gene" thing is way overblown. He just has to put it all together and the finals, and my belief is that he ultimately will, and when it does happen, he will be the engine driving that team and not D-Wade.

LeBron is the most over-scrutinized, over-analyized, polarizing athlete of this generation, which is saying something considering he's never really done anything wrong other than rub some people the wrong way. Right now, he is the best player in the game, and when it's all said and done, he will be considered a top 10 player to every play.

I think that Lebron at this stage in his career is where he would be had he played college for 3 years. So IQ wise and all around game, I view him as being a 5 year pro, chalking his first 3 years up to learning on the job experience. This is akin to when you see an 18 year old boxer turn pro and he loses more matches early than a guy with extensive amateur experience. Once they turn the corner and gain experience, they become very good/great fighters. The early struggles, you have to discount because they were learning on the job against much more experience athletes.

I think his clutch abiltity is unfairly underrated. Playing with Wade he hasnt had the killer instinct....not because he is in awe of Wade but because LBJ is such an unselfish player. Because he is so unselfish, the perception of him has become that he is not an Alpha Dog and I just dont buy that. He is closer to a cross between Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen than he is to MJ or Kobe, but why is that so criminal I ask?

To get thru all the adversity and to come out stronger this year has been impressive. I'm a Lakers fan, and a KB24 guy, but I must tip my hat. LBJ is the best player in the game today. Is he clutch? maybe, maybe not, but LBJ has worked to improve his game each and every year, and it's been evident this season. He now catches comfortably back to the basket, thats scary.

All the off the court stuff is irrelevant, I just judge him for his game. He is a freak that has actually developed his skill level to his freakish athleticism. So many guys don't...

He is the greatest player ever. Nobody has the talent he has. I think that he gets an unfair rap about being selfish. He is better than Jordan.
People always say Jordan didnt leave chicago, so lebron shouldnt leave cleveland: Lebron left because his team sucked, Jordans team had Pippen and other good role players, lebrons had larry hughs
People always say how much of a jerk lebron: Jordan makes lebron look like Drew Brees. Jordan came from a decent family. If you watched his hall of fame induction he still had grudges with people, he seems completly self obsorbed. Lebron had one parent with no dad. People worshipped him since the eighth grade. If anything he should a completely selfish person, but yet he seems down to earth

I am 18 by the way. talent wise he is better than kobe and jordan. We/the media needs to stop judging players on championships and if you look at the stats kobe shoots 35% when he is down or tied with 10 secs left in a game. it was on espn like a year ago. Both kobe and Jordan had way better supporting casts than lebron did in cleveland. Lebron won 61 games with a team that without him won 19. Jordan had 2 hall of famers with him and great role players. Kobe had shaq and great role players. championships doesnt make you good. Lebron can do everything he could score 35 a game if he had to. He could have 20pts and 9 rb and 12 assists if he had to. He could play and gaurd every single position good. He is the best perimeter defender of all time. You get too caught up with championships and you fail to realize lebron is the greatest player based on talent ever. He has finally developed a post game and that will help him even more. There are also more good teams right now than there were when Jordan played. I think that you were caght up in the good old times and fail to see and apprciate how incredable lebron is on the court.Off the court is different, I dont have a man crush on him because I dont agree with how he acts and who he is, but from a basketball perspective he is incredable.

^Agreed, cause outside of runaway fast break dunks, all Lebron does is dribble dribble pull up, and he isn't attacking the rim as much as he did in Cleveland. This year it looks like he's in the post more, but his offense is still predictable and predicated on jumping higher and running faster than everyoneelse.

Kobe has a very nice array of moves, and I've liked that he's stoped posting up from the free throw line, and what he does is he rather gets the ball from th mid range area, and makes his move to get get into the paint or create space, and then puts up an off balance jumper which to Kobe is routine.

I'd say that Lebron is a future hall of famer right now and has led his teams to their fullest potential. I'm including the loss to the Mavericks in the finals last year, ppl want to bash Lebron for his performance and deservedly so, but noone was beating Dallas last year. The crunch time shots Dirk, Jason Terry, Kidd, and even Stevenson were making was unreal and noone had a chance. I still don't understand why ppl say he isn't clutch when he made crunch time shots against the Bulls and Celtics just last year. He has led the league in 4th quarter scoring and has made gamewinners in the PLAYOFFS against the Wizards, Pistons and Magic.

Would I trust him in the clutch over Carmelo, Dirk, Durant, or even his own teammate Wade? Maybe not, but I won't make the uneducated, blank statement that he just isn't clutch as if he's never made clutch baskets before.

I also feel he could have a career similar to Shaq where people wondered as talented as he is does he have the "it" factor to win a ring. Lebron will probably be the best player when the Heat win a ring and Wade will likely be the closer like Kobe was to Shaq. Do not be surprised if Lebron does end up taking those clutch shots though because even though people have short memories he is capable of taking and making those shots as he's proved throughout his career.

Dirk has always been very clutch during his career, but the meltdown vs Miami in the Finals and Golden State in the first round always stood out. People viewed him as being very mentally weak and not a big stage performer.

I think the same is happening to LeBron to a certain extent. LeBron has made some clutch plays, baskets and led fourth quarter comebacks, BUT his let downs, failures and meltdowns are standing out. He's had some VERY big ones and they've been unnacceptable/unbelievable to a lot of people who's expectations for him were through the roof. LeBron advertised himself as "the closer", but hasn't really done enough to deserve that title.

I think LeBron can turn it around though. He just has to win on the big stage and prove people wrong. Look at Dirk... He dominated last year's playoffs and won a ring, and somehow jumped into everyone's top five lol.

Indiana, I feel like the younger generation really slights Jordan and fail to recognize how good he was when he was younger. The 95-96 and later MJ was still a great player, the greatest in the league at that time, but they don't see how athletic a young MJ was and how his dominace in Chicago before he had a team was just as impressive if not more than Lebron and his sub par squad in Cleveland.

Lebron too pretty weak team to the finals in a weak Eastern Conference when the West had all the great teams, but the East was much harder with Detroit and Boston in the late 1980's.

I was able to watch Jordan and Lebron and I think Jordan was better, I know I run the risk of sounding like an old man saying everything was better in his day, but I was 21 Lebron's rookie year, I've seen em both. Lebron is the best player in the league, and yes his position allows him to rebound at higher rates and he is a better passer, but in my opinion, Jordan is the GOAT. Kobe is the best player of his generation and Lebron is the best player of his generation. They're both top 10 all time, MJ is #1.

I think he is the best player in the NBA right now and its not even close. The Cavs team he took to the finals against the spurs would have been like a 15 win team without him. He is one of few players who you could have a team full of 40 year old free agents and then just add Lebron and you win at least 50 games.

LeBron wasn't even considered a choker until his last few games with the Cavs. I think people forget what he did to the Pistons years back. Was that not clutch? To be honest I think it's easier to guard Kobe in the clutch anyway because you know no matter what he is going to shoot it and you can just double him.

Who wrote anything about championships? And saying LeBron is the best perimeter defender of all-time is insane...

LeBron is a great player. He's a physical marvel and freak athlete all at the same time, while having God given court vision. He was born to play ball. He's a special player, but he doesn't have the same DNA as MJ. They're just different players, with different mentalities.

MJ was a nightmare and put fear in your heart. I mean, he was a killer. I was watching that little show on NBATV with Charles, Reggie, Kenny, Shaq, Webber, etc and they said Jordan would literally be counting down to his defender when he had the ball like "5, 4, 3, 2..." lol. He was your favorite player's favorite player. He was just a different breed... A one of a kind player. Not only was he a freak athlete, he was also extremely skilled. He was the total package and at both ends of the floor. And though there's no way to measure competitiveness, majority of players and longtime NBA followers think MJ was the most competitive ever.

I'm old enough to have watched both players and I just don't think it's close. LeBron is still getting better, but he'd have to get A LOT better mentally and heart wise to touch MJ.

Mentally jordan is unmatched by anyone
this is good traits of both players(there are more)
Lebron
-better passer
-funner to be around(Jordan would always gamble on flights which would affect chemistry if a poorer player lost alot and Jordan doesnt come across as friendly at all)and lebron seems more likely to talk to anyone
-better athlete

Jordan
works harder
mentally strong
clutch
made NBA famous and brought a lot of attention to it
winner
better shooter

close
entertainment value
defender

Lebron has had by far the worst team situations of any of them (kobe is a product of the lakers (would he have won those championships and have the career he has had for the clippers I dont think so, so he disqualified. Comparing Lebron to JOrdan is unfair because of the advances in training and how the NBA has changed. I dont think jordan could have stop derrick rose last year but lebron being 6 inches taller was able to stay with him without hand checking. Jordans time was different than it is now. In his time there were 2 or 3 teams that had the talent his team had now it is way more competitive Lebrons heat team could win 2 or 3 championships and it would be comparable to jordans team and lebron and wade could say they were in Jordans class. There werent many superstars in jordans time like there is now which made him stand out more than he would had there been more competition.

MJ also had a better post game... Better mid-range game. He was a better leader. Better on ball defender. More killer instinct. Better big stage performer. Better off of the ball game. Better footwork... Just way more skill and basketball fundamentals than LeBron.

LeBron is funner to be around, but being a leader isn't about being fun...

MJ was like a father... His teammates were scared of him, but loved and respected him at the same time. He took care of them, but they knew that if they slipped up, he'd be on their ass like white on rice. THAT'S what a leader has to do. That's what LeBron lacks. Wade is a better leader than LeBron... During the NBA Finals last year, he was heard yelling at LeBron for passing up an open shot. He was heard blasting Bosh about letting Chandler punk him. Being a leader sometimes requires you to be the "mean" guy.

And I don't think anybody could contain Rose one on one... Not even LeBron did. LeBron did a GREAT job, but people act like LeBron just shut Rose down one on one... Rose would've had no problem beating LeBron off of the dribble (he's done it in the past)... It was the second and third defender he was worried about. It was being hedged and trapped damn near every possession.

And you need to do some research young fella if you think there weren't many superstars during Jordan's era.

"There werent many superstars in jordans time like there is now which made him stand out more than he would had there been more competition."

Did I hear that right? Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Clyde Drexler and a whole lot more... These were some of the big names during Jordan's era... The FIRST FOUR GUYS MENTIONED are what the NBA today is lacking...A DOMINATING BIG MAN... Dwight Howard and possibly Andrew Bynum are the only guys that could be in part of that discussion but other than that who else? The NBA during Jordan's time was as competitive as it is today. For you to say "there weren't many superstars in jordan's time" is incorrect...

Just because guys wore short shorts and had jerry curls didn't mean they weren't great NBA players. Jordan also played in the era where hand checking was a regular occurance and since most teams couldn't stop him, they strategy was to hack the crap out of him in hope to wear him down. Most notoriously the Detroit Pistons.

Say what you will about athleticism compared to today's game, but I really think it was pretty comparable. People see a guy like Tom Chambers, who have never seen him play and assume he wasn't athletic, same goes for a lot of other players. With new weight training, I will say with confidence that NBA players are stronger than they used to be, but the NBA was more physical than it is now.

The game is certainly different, but I don't think it's any harder now than it was in the late 80's and early 90's.

it is at an all time high now because of advanced training methods and the guys work out year round it is a different culture now adays. so that makes your comment ignorant. There werent that many innercity guys back then there still was effects of racism maybe minor and drawn out effects. Not as many guys got out of the hood who had the talent. The guys now are way more skilled than jordan because they play bastball year round on AAU teams and are constantly improving. To say jordan is more talented is completely false. times change he was great in his era but now he wouldnt be great. Name great perimeter players who were in jordans time other than drexler and miller

it is at an all time high now because of advanced training methods and the guys work out year round it is a different culture now adays. so that makes your comment ignorant. There werent that many innercity guys back then there still was effects of racism maybe minor and drawn out effects. Not as many guys got out of the hood who had the talent. The guys now are way more skilled than jordan because they play bastball year round on AAU teams and are constantly improving. To say jordan is more talented is completely false. times change he was great in his era but now he wouldnt be great. Name great perimeter players who were in jordans time other than drexler and miller

Throwing around the word ignorant, huh? You think Jordan didn't play basketball year round? That guy ate, slept and breathed basketball no matter if he played on AAU teams or not. He was notorious for his work ethic even when he reached the NBA. Jordan dropped 43 points at age 40 in the modern era. He was a master, you think guys in 2002 or 2003 didn't benefit from playing AAU basketball or modern training methods and Jordan was dropping 40 and 50 + point games on them at ages 38-40. Add 10 years of youth to that and you have a great player in the modern era. Jordan with Washington was a shell of his youthful self and he more than held his own in the modern era after taking 2 years off.

Jordan wasn't as talented or skilled as modern players because he didn't play the run and gun style of AAU, while implying he didn't play basketball year round? Now that is ignorant.

no because if you are constantly playing and practicing you are improving. Do you see the workouts that some of the NBA players do in the off season. you have to practice year round to be great. I said times have changed and how players prepare work out has changed do to modern training routines. Jordan is great but him playing in the 90s in not better than lebron now, had he grown up now it would be different and you guys wont just admit lebron is more talented than jordan in his prime and part of it is because times have changed. Could babe ruth play now i dont think so he batted against people who played baseball as a second job and he had a horible body compared to albert pujols. It is a drastic example, but same sort of thing aplies to jordan just on a much minor of a scale. The quality of coaching in basketball has gone up too.You fail to see how many things are different and affect how good players become. and you call me ignorant, I see that there are many things that have changed since jordans time, you fail you look past how imortalized he was. he was the first true superstar that brought many fans to the NBA, but he is not the greatest player ever. it is like baseball there are eras and in the NBA there are too. He was the greatest player in the 90s, but of all time he is uncompable to different eras. we all know george mikan couldnt play now. Remember there are many things that change over the course of time.

If Wilt Chamberlain stepped on the court today as a 21 year old he'd be the best center in the game, there are tons of players that could compete and be great in today's era. Jordan being one of them.

How do you refute my point in regards to him dropping 40 and 50 point games in the modern era at ages 38,39, and 40 after taking 2 seasons off? That is the modern era, players did benefit from year round basketball, they did benefit from modern strength conditioning.

He was holding his own as an old man, you don't think he'd be putting up the same stats he did when he was younger, and you said he wouldn't even be great in today's era. He was a 20+ ppg scorer at age 40 in the modern era.

I believe that the game is much less pjysical than it ws even 8 to 10 years ago. And the lack of physicallity is what would allow Jordan to drive to the basket easier, or get his shot off. The hand-checking rule also would have helped Jordan alot. I'm not saying that the players aren't as good now as they were 20 years ago, just that the style of play now days would benifit Jordan, thus a younger Jordan would probably drop 35 a game almost every season

Excessive fouling was often the best option from keeping Jordan getting to the hoop in his early years. He was an 85% FT shooter, but it was more to try to bruise his arms and fatigue him quicker. It was only effective to an extent and those were the eras of Lambieer, Rodman, Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwon and other great big men patroling the hoop in an era where there was no defensive 3 seconds.

If he gets past his man in today's era what's to stop him in today's era? Dwight Howard and a severe drop off of talent who have to step out of the lane every 3 seconds to prevent racking up technical fouls? I agree amir, Jordan is a more effectvie driver in today's era.

so I write about how the game has changed and different things that improve the quality of players and I get fifty negatives. Jordan came around when he had no major rival like bird had magic, wilt had bill russell. This shows how important Jordan was to the NBA during his career.Lebron means a lot less than jordan meant to it. I know. I got interested in the NBA because of jordan and when he retired I became a Kevin garnett and timberwolves fan. I was just showing that many changes have happened in the basketball world since jordan retired. We all are going to think the guy that was great when we grew up is the best. I was aware of the NBA towards the end of jordans career so i missed him. When lebron wade and melo happened that was when I was truely interested in the NBA. So those three to me are the best ever because those are my guys that Ive seen develope and grow as players. I am 18. I just think that if you dont look at lebron and jordan and at least give it a thought as to whose better then at least in the future people will be able to say that they were both great in thier own way, and if you fail to listen to how good lebron is in the eyes of those who he was thier first great player they saw for his whole career, then they both will be remember in an unfair manner.

I watched an old Michael Jordan give all of the young guards like Carter, Kobe, T-Mac, etc, etc the business as a 38-39 year old man. That was just back in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The game really hasn't changed THAT much since then.

He took two years off and came back and put up 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists lol. Unreal. Not to mention, he was having to get his knee drained consistently.